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RESOURCEFUL  CENTRAL  AMERICA. 

By  JOHN  BARRETT, 

DIRECTOR  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL  BUREAU  OF  THE 
AMERICAN  REPUBUCS. 

[Reprinted  from  THE  AMERICAN  REVIEW  OF  REVIEWS.  July,  1907.] 


Sl7."ZS 

^U.'VYX 


. Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


\ 


https://archive.org/details/resourcefulcentrOObarr 


RESOURCEFUL  CENTRAL  AMERICA. 

15Y  JOHN  HARRF/I'l'. 

(Director  of  tlic  International  Bureau  of  tlie  American  Republics.) 


'^HE  best  way  to  understand  or  study  any 
section  of  this  world  which  may  be 
little  known  is  to  locate  it  on  the  map  clearly 
and  then  make  comparisons  as  to  its  size  with 
sections  better  known. 

Central  America  is  sometimes  described  as 
all  that  portion  of  the  North-American  con- 
tinent lying  between  the  Rio  Grande  and 
the  Atrato  rivers;  the  former  dividing  Mex- 
ico from  the  United  States  and  the  latter 
forming  practically  the  boundary  line  be- 
tween Panama  and  Colombia.  Politically, 
however,  it  comprehends  the  five  independ- 
ent states  of  Guatemala,  Honduras,  Sal- 
vador, Nicaragua,  and  Costa  Rica.  In  the 
order  named,  they  lie  directly  south  and  east 
of  Mexico,  between  the  Caribbean  Sea  and 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  Salvador  is  the  only  one 
of  the  five  that  borders  solely  on  the  Pacific, 
or  that  has  not  shores  washed  by  both  waters. 


As  the  average  newspaper  reader  sees  the 
names  of  these  republics  mentioned  in  the 
dispatches  he  thinks  of  them  as  indefinitely 
existing  somewhere  to  the  distant  south  of 
the  United  States.  He  believes  that  they  are 
nearer  Mexico  than  Patagonia,  but  he  hesi- 
tates before  he  goes  on  record  to  that  effect. 

In  fact,  all  these  countries,  grouped  as 
Central  America,  are  so  close  at  hand  that 
they  are  within  a few  days’  steaming  N^vy. 
Orleans,  Mobile,  or  Galveston.  They  are 
much  nearer  geographically  to  our  gulf 
coast  than  Panama,  which,  on  account  of  the 
advertising  it  has  enjoyed  from  the  canal, 
now  seems  only  a few  hours  from  New  York. 
Panama,  as  it  looks  on  the  map,  should  be- 
long to  Central  America, — it  certainly  is 
not  part  of  South  America.  Having  for- 
merly been  a portion  of  Colombia,  the  greater 
part  of  which  is  in  South  America  proper, 

it  naturally  has  never  been  classed 

as  belonging  to  Central  or  North 
America. 

APPROACHES  TO  CENTRAL  AMERICA. 

A Strong  influence  that  has  worked 
to  make  Central  America  seem  far 
away  has  been  the  necessity,  in  the 
past,  of  reaching  the  different  capitals 
or  principal  cities  either  by  sailing 
from  San  Francisco  on  a journey  oc- 


THE  INDEPENDENT  STATES  OF  CENTRAL  AMERICA,  SHOWING  THEIR  RESPECTIVE  CAPITALS. 


*2 


70 


THE  AMERICAN  MONTHLY  REHIEIV  OF  REHIEJVS. 


THE  OLD  MODE  OF  TRANSPORTATION  IN  NICARAGUA. 


cupying  from  ten  days  to  two  weeks  down 
the  Pacific  Coast  past  Mexico,  or  by  crossing 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama  and  proceeding  north. 
The  physical  conformation  of  Central  Amer- 
ica is  such  that  the  high  and  accessible  lands 
suitable  for  cities  and  the  better  classes  of 
population  are  much  nearer  the  Pacific  Ocean 
than  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  shores  and 
the  interior  facing  on  the  latter  sea  are 
generally  low,  and,  until  recently,  when 
banana  cultivation  began  to  open  them  to 
the  world,  they  were  a wild,  swampy,  mos- 
quito jungle. 

The  few  railroads  have  started  from  the 


Pacific  Coast  and  wound  their  way  to  the  cap- 
itals and  commercial  centers,  but  now  rapid 
progress  is  being  made  toward  rail  connec- 
tions with  the  Caribbean  side.  Costa  Rica  is 
already  well  provided  in  this  respect,  and  its 
beautiful  capital  of  San  Jose  is  easily  reached 
in  a day’s  ride  through  impressive  scenery 
from  Port  Limon.  Guatemala  hopes  to  have 
its  railroad  to  the  Gulf  of  Honduras  com- 
pleted next  fall.  Nicaragua  is  planning  a line 
that  will  connect  the  Caribbean  Sea  with  its 
great  interior  lake,  while  Honduras  has  be- 
gun a road  that  is  destined  to  provide  an  ap- 
proach on  the  same  side  to  Tegucigalpa.  In 
a few  years  it  should  be  possible  to  cross  by 
rail  each  Central-American  country  from 
sea  to  sea.  An  era  of  continued  peace,  which 
ought  to  be  at  hand,  would  see  this  desired 
condition  of  communication  soon  accom- 
plished. 

COMPARATIVE  SIZE  OF  CENTRAL-AMERICAN 
STATES. 

Very  few  people  have  a correct  impression 
of  the  size  of  Central  America  as  a whole  or 
of  its  states,  taken  separately.  California 
seems  like  a large  State.  It  extends  770 
miles  along  the  Pacific  and  has  an  extreme 
width  of  375  miles.  If  California  were  laid 
end  for  end  on  Central  America  it  would 
cover  it  with  the  exception  of  Salvador,  which 
is  just  the  size  of  New  Jersey  and  occupies  a 
little  over  7000  square  miles.  Stated  in  an- 
other way,  if  Central  America  were  lifted  up 
bodily  and  laid  down  on  our  Atlantic  Coast 


ONE  OF  THE  OLD  MISSION  CHURCHES  OF  NICARAGUA. 


RHSOURClih'UL  CENTRAL  AMERICA. 


71 


A TYPICAL  GROUP  OF  COSTA  RICANS. 


It  would  just  hide  all  New  England,  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  and  New  Jersey.  In 
short.  It  has  a combined  area  of  approximately 
167,000  square  miles.  Individually,  aside 
from  Salvador,  already  mentioned,  the  states 
could  be  compared  as  follows:  Honduras  to 
Pennsylvania,  45,000  square  miles;  Guate- 
mala to  Mississippi,  47,000;  Nicaragua  to 
New  York,  49,000;  Costa  Rica  to  Vermont 
and  New  Hampshire,  18,000. 

Data  as  to  the  population  of  these 
states  are  somewhat  contradictory,  but 
the  official  figures  given  to  the  Inter- 
national Bureau  of  American  Republics 
by  the  diplomatic  representatives  of  these 
countries'  at  Washington  are  here  used. 
Guatemala  heads  the  list  with  1,364,678  peo- 
ple. Then  comes  Salvador,  with  1,006,848; 
Honduras,  with  543,741  ; Nicaragua,  with 
423,200,  and  Costa  Rica,  with  331,340, 
— a grand  total  of  3,671,807.  This 
nearly  exceeds  that  of  either  Texas  or  Ten- 
nessee, and  is  about  twice  that  of  California. 
Such  a population  should  disabuse  the  minds 
of  many  persons  that  Central  America  Is  a 
sparsely  settled,  savage  land.  Of  course,  there 
are  considerable  portions  of  the  low  lands 
and  along  the  seacoasts  where  the  Inhabitants 
are  few,  and  even  these  live  In  most  primitive 
manner,  but  on  the  plateaus  and  higher  sec- 


tions of  the  Interior  are  cities  and  towns  of 
advanced  civilization,  with  up-to-date  fea- 
tures of  municipal  life,  and  an  agricultural 
population  that  leaves  little  valuable  land 
unoccupied. 

CONDITIONS  OF  POPULATION  AND  DEVELOP- 
MENT. 

It  Is  a surprise  to  the  man  who  has  not 
studied  Central  America  to  learn  that  Sal- 
vador, with  only  7000  square  miles,  has  more 
than  1,000,000  Inhabitants.  This  Indicates  a 
density  of  population  far  greater  than  that 
of  New  Hampshire  or  Vermont,  and  means 
that  there  are  not  many  “ deserted  farms  ” 
for  sale  In  Salvador ! Guatemala,  with  an 
Increasing  population  that,  since  the  last  cen- 
sus, has  probably  now  reached  nearly  1,500,- 
000,  cannot  be  regarded  as  a land  of  untrav- 
ersed jungle,  for  the  density  of  population  Is 
greater  than'  that  of  Louisiana.  Honduras 
has  the  largest  area  of  unused  country,  with 
Nicaragua  next,  but  the  development  of  the 
banana  Industry  and  the  demand  for  valuable 
timber  grown  In  the  low  Interior  sections  are 
destined  to  make  every  unknown  part  accessi- 
ble and  open  to  exploitation. 

Too  strong  emphasis  cannot  be  placed  on 
the  varied  riches  and  possibilities  of  these 
five  republics.  Taken  as  a whole,  they  pos- 


72 


THE  AMERICAN  MONTHLY  RENIEW  OF  REVIEWS. 


sess  more  agricultural  and  timber  wealth  than 
mining  potentialities,  but  they  are  developing 
rapidly  along  all  three  lines  in  a way  to 
prove  that  they  have  not  been  appreciated 
heretofore,  either  in  Europe  or  in  the  United 
States. 

The  number  of  recent  disturbances  in  Cen- 
tral America  has  given  the  Impression  abroad 
that  these  nations  are  always  in  a state  of 
strife,  and  hence  that  commerce  and  material 
progress  have  little  to  encourage  them.  A 
consideration,  however,  of  the  figures  of  their 
foreign  trade  with  the  world  at  large,  and 
with  the  United  States  in  particular,  demon- 
strates that  despite  warlike  struggles  at  fre- 
quent intervals  they  have  time  and  money  to 
do  a very  fair  business  with  the  outside  world. 


CLIMATIC  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  CENTRAL 


AMERICA. 


People  are  always  asking:  What  is  the 
climate  of  Central  America;  is  it  not  un- 
favorable to  North  Americans  or  to  per- 
sons accustomed  to  a temperate  climate  ? 
Were  the  entire  area  of  Central  America  sim- 
ilar to  the  part  along  the  Caribbean  coast,  I 
should  be  inclined  to  speak  disparagingly  of 
it,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  large  sec- 
tions are  located  either  at  such  an  altitude  or 
in  such  relation  to  prevailing  winds  that  the 
temperature  seldom  becomes  too  hot  for  ordi- 
nary comfort,  and  never  too  cold.  Even  in 
the  lower  and  so-called  fever,  malarial,  and 


THE  CATHEDRAL  AT  GUATEMALA  CITY. 

mosquito  districts,  it  is  wonderful  what  a 
change  can  be  wrought  by  clearing  away  the 
jungle,  providing  good  sewerage  and  pure 
water,  and  generally  developing  a sanitary 
environment.  Then,  the  terrors  of  excessive 
heat  seem  to  disappear  and  the  tropics  become 
a source  of  delight. 

What  has  been  done  at  Panama  can  be 
duplicated  everywhere  in  Central  America  if 
the  same  methods  are 
employed.  There  is 
hardly  a depressing, 
forbidding  port  of 
Guatemala,  Honduras, 
Salvador,  Nicaragua, 
and  Costa  Rica  which 
could  not  be  made 
healthy  and  habitable 
for  foreigners  if  a well- 
developed  plan  for 
sanitation  were  carried 
to  complete  execution. 
This  is  sure  to  come 
some  day,  with  the  re- 
sult that  the  whole 
so-called  “ Mosquito 
Coast  ” and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  Carib- 
bean shore  of  Central 
America  will  be  busy 
with  prosperous  com- 
m e r c i a 1 entrepots, 
which,  in  turn,  will 
be  connected  by  rail- 


THE  NATIOXAL  THEATRE  OF  COSTA  RICA  AT  SAN  JOSE. 


RESOUKCHFUL  CENTRAL  AMERICA,  73 


roads  with  all  parts  of  tlu*  hitherto  iiiipen- 
etrahle  jiiii}2,ie,  as  well  as  with  the  moun- 
tain capitals  and  towns.  In  fact,  1 look  to 
see,  diirinjz:  the  next  twenty  years,  a trans- 
formation in  CefUral  America  which  will  as- 
tonish the  world  and  make  it  difficult  to 
realize  that,  in  1907,  it  was  commonly  rc- 
pirded  as  a terra  inco<rnil(i. 


HOW'  TO  REACH  CENTRAL-AMERICAN  CITIES. 


The  query  is  often  propounded  to  the  In- 
ternational Bureau  of  American  Republics: 

How^  does  a visitor  go  to  the  principal  cities 
of  Central  America,  and  what  are  the  condi- 
tions of  travel  ? The  best  w'ay  to-day  to 
reach  Guatemala  City,  the  capital  of  Guate- 
mala; San  Salvador,  the  capital  of  Salvador; 

Tegucigalpa,  the  capital  of  Honduras,  and 
Managua,  the  capital  of  Nicaragua,  is  either 
by  the  way  of  Panama  and  the  Pacific  or  by 
San  Francisco  and  the  Pacific,  except  that 
the  new  rail  route  across  the  isthmus  of  Te- 
huantepec may  presently  provide  connections 
that  wdll  be  quicker  than  the  route  via  San 
Francisco  or  Panama.  San  Jose,  the  capital 
of  Costa  Rica,  has  direct  rail  connections  with 
Port  Limon,  on  the  Caribbean  shore,  and  will  white  house,  san  Salvador. 

soon  have  a through  railroad  to  Punta  Arenas 

on  the  Pacific  Gulf  of  Nicoya.  The  port  of  ern  Guatemala  is  reached  through  the  ports 
Guatemala  City  is  the  town  of  San  Jose,  from  of  Ocos  and  Champerico,  and  a railroad  ex- 
which  a railroad  runs  to  the  capital.  The  tends  from  the  latter  place  to  several  impor- 
line  from  the  Caribbean,  soon  to  be  com-  tant  towns  of  the  interior.  The  principal 
pleted,  begins  at  Puerto  Barrios.  Northw^est-  port  of  Salvador  is  Acajutla,  from  which  a 

railroad  carries  one,  in 
five  hours,  to  the  city 
of  San  Salvador.  From 
La  Libertad  there  is 
a fair  mountain  road, 
but  it  has  been  little 
used  since  the  raihvay 
w^as  completed. 

The  capital  of  Hon- 
duras has  its  port  at 
Amapala,  on  the  Pa- 
cific Gulf  of  Fonseca, 
and  a good  macadam- 
ized road  extends  from 
San  Lorenzo  to  Te- 
gucigalpa, on  which 
automobiles  are  oper- 
ated. A railroad  is 
planned  and  partly 
constructed  to  connect 
Tegucigalpa  not  only 
wdth  the  Gulf  of  Fon- 
seca, but  also  w ith 
Puerto  Cortez,  on  the 
Caribbean  Gulf  of 


THE  BANK  OF  COSTA  RICA. 


74 


THE  AMERICAN  MONTHLY  REHIEIV  OF  REVIEWS. 


Honduras.  When  these  roads  will  be  com- 
pleted is,  however,  uncertain.  The  chief  port 
of  Nicaragua  is  Corinto,  on  the  Pacific  side. 
From  this  port,  a railroad  runs  to  Managua, 
and  thence  to  Granada,  on  Lake  Nicaragua. 

PRECAUTIONS  FOR  TRAVELERS. 

The  capital  towns  of  the  Central-Ameri- 
can  republics  var)^  in  population,  but  all  pro- 
vide hotels  and  clubs  that  are  comfortable. 
New’  York  and  Paris  hostelries  do  not 
abound,  as  there  is  no  demand  for  them,  but 
unless  a man  is  a chronic  “ kicker  ” he  need 
not  be  unhappy  in  his  Central-American  sur- 
roundings. Whoever  goes  there  should  be 
provided  with  an  abundance  of  light  cloth- 
ing, such  as  white  duck,  brown  khaki,  or  thin 
flannel.  He  must  guard  against  the  sun  in 
the  middle  of  the  day,  and  should  wear,  un- 
less he  carries  an  umbrella,  a pith  hat  or 
some  kind  of  sun  helmet.  After  the  sun  is 
well  down,  the  air  cools  ol¥  immediately,  .md 
the  nights  are  generally  cool.  Except  in  ♦■ne 
higher  altitudes,  a mosquito  net  is  absolutely 
necessary,  and  no  traveler  along  the  coast  or 
in  the  low  interior  should  be  caught  without 
one.  If  any  time  is  spent  in  this  section,  it  is 


also  well  to  take  regular  doses  of  quinine,  ac- 
cording to  one’s  capacity  or  health,  in  order 
to  guard  against  malaria.  Ordinary  care 
should  also  be  exercised  in  the  kind  of  food 
consumed,  and  even  more  care  in  the  kind 
of  w’ater  that  is  drunk. 

I do  not  wish  to  frighten  anybody  or  make 
it  appear  that  there  is  any  particular  danger 
while  traveling  in  these  countries.  I desire 
rather  to  make  a few  ^ simple  suggestions, 
which,  if  followed,  will  make  travel  and  life 
there  more  safe  and  agreeable.  As  to  myself, 
I can  say  that  during  many  years’  residence 
as  United  States  Minister  in  different  tropi- 
cal countries  of  the  Orient  and  America,  in- 
cluding a year  at  Panama  (before  it  was 
m.ade  healthy  and  sanitary  through  the  great 
work  of  Colonel  Gorgas),  I never  experi- 
enced a day’s  sickness  from  any  kind  of  trop- 
ical complaint.  I exercised  common-sense 
care  of  myself,  and  nothing  more.  To-day,  I 
visit  the  heart  of  the  tropics  with  far  less  hesi- 
tation than  I do  New  England  in  winter. 

TRAUE^  COMMERCE^  AND  FINANCIAL  STATUS. 

That  this  discussion  of  Central  America 
may  contain  some  exact  information  about  its 


ONE  OF  THE  ROOMS  IN  THE  COVERNMENT  PALACE  OF  HONDURAS,  AT  TEGUCIGALPA. 


RHSOURCHFUL  CFNTKAL  AMERICA. 


ir) 


SORTING  COFFEE,  SAN  SALVADOR. 


trade,  commerce,  and  general  business,  the 
latest  statistics  and  figures,  prepared  in  the 
International  Bureau  of  American  Republics, 
of  which  the  writer  is  the  director,  are  given 
in  summarized  form.  The  total  foreign 
com.merce,  exports  and  imports,  of  the  five 
republics  amounted  last  year  to  the  consid- 
erable total  of  $56,133,000.  Of  this,  exports 
were  $32,170,000  and  imports  $23,963,000, 
or  a favorable  balance  of  nearly  $10,000,000. 
The  share  of  the  United  States  in  the  above 
trade  is  interesting  to  note,  because  it  aver- 
aged about  half.  The  total  was  $26,376,000, 
of  which  exports  to  the  United  States  were 
$14,992,000,  and  imports  from  the  United 
States  $i  1,384,000. 

Taking  each  country  in  turn  for  the  pur- 
pose of  providing  accurate  and  specific  infor- 
mation, it  is  noted  that  the  total  trade  of 
Guatemala  with  the  world  is  $15,082,000, 
of  which  $6,844,000  are  imports  and  $8,238,- 
I 000  are  exports.  Of  this,  the  portion  of  the 
I United  States  is  $5,582,000,  divided  as  fol- 
; lows:  Imports,  $2,707,000;  exports,  $2,875,- 
1^  000.  The  budget  for  1906-07  estimates  the 


revenues  of  the  government  at  $25,000,000. 

Salvador  enjoys  a foreign  commerce  of 
$9,986,000,  divided  into  exports  of  $5,640,- 
000  and  imports  of  $4,346,000.  The  share 
of  the  United  States  is  $2,580,000,  with  ex- 
ports of  $1,225,000  and  imports  of  $i,355,- 
000.  The  annual  budget  for  1906-07  esti- 
mates the  national  revenues  at  $8,644,295. 

Honduras  conducts  an  external  trade  with 
the  world  of  $7,857,000,  of  which  exports 
are  $5,564,000  and  imports  $2,293,000. 
The  United  States’  proportion  of  this  trade 
is  valued  at  $6,322,000,  or  much  the  largest 
part,  of  which  exports  to  the  United  States 
are  $4,632,000  and  imports  therefrom 
$1,690,000.  The  last  budget  places  the  reve- 
nues at  $3,043,000.  Although  the  foreign 
debt  is  heavy,  Honduras  has  marvelous  re- 
sources, which,  developed,  will  enable  her  to 
meet  her  obligations. 

Nicaragua’s  foreign  commerce  reaches  a 
total  of  $7,128,000,  of  which  $3,926,000 
represents  exports,  and  $3,202,000  imports. 
Of  these,  the  share  of  the  United  States  is 
nearly  half,  as  the  total  is  $3,757,000, 


76 


THE  AMERICAN  MONTHLY  REHIEIV  OF  REVIEIVS. 


with  exports  at  $2,089,000  and  imports  at 
$1,668,000.  The  annual  income  for  gov- 
ernment expenses  is  about  $20,000,000. 
Nicaragua  gives  every  evidence  of  being 
on  the  highway  to  great  material  progress, 
and  is  offering  exceptional  opportunities 
for  the  investment  of  capital  in  both  min- 
ing and  agriculture.  Great  public  improve- 
ments are  also  contemplated  that  will  add 
much  to  the  prosperity  of  the  country. 

Although  Costa  Rica  ranks  fourth  in  area 
among  the  Central-American  republics,  she 
stands  a good  second  in  foreign  trade.  This 
amounted,  in  1906,  to  the  large  sum  of  $16,- 
000,000,  of  which  the  exports  were  $8,802,- 
000  and  imports  $7,278,000.  The  United 
States  shared  to  the  extent  of  about  half,  or 
$8,135,000,  with  exports  and  imports,  re- 
spectively, at  $4,171,000  and  $3,964,000. 
The  revenue  for  1906- ’07  is  estimated  at 
$3,372,795- 

Everybody  who  visits  Costa  Rica  carries 
away  a good  impression  and  has  great  con- 
fidence in  its  future.  The  banana  business 
has  grown  to  such  size  that  it  has  become  a 
decided  source  of  wealth  to  the  country  and 
people.  Mining  has  not  been  conducted  on 
a large  scale,  but  considerable  mineral  wealth 
is  believed  to  exist  in  the  mountains. 


PRINCIPAL  PRODUCTS  SOLD  AND  BOUGHT. 

The  character  of  the  trade  of  Central 
America  with  the  world  and  with  the  United 
States  can  be  best  appreciated  by  noting  some 
of  the  principal  articles  which  are  exported 
and  imported.  Central  Americans  sell  abroad 
coffee,  bananas,  rubber,  cacao,  dyewoods, 
valuable  lumber,  like  mahogany  and  other 
cabinet  woods,  hides  and  skins,  rice,  sugar, 
indigo,  balsam,  tobaccO,  and  minerals.  They 
buy  cotton  and  woolen  cloth,  machinery,  rail- 
way, electric  and  mining  outfits,  wheat  flour, 
drugs,  and  medicines,  iron  and  steel  manu- 
factures, sacks  for  export  of  coffee  and  fruit, 
canned  provisions,  and  a host  of  lesser  arti- 
cles. The  list  is  long  enough  to  show  that 
there  are  great  opportunities  in  Central 
America  for  the  manufacturers  and  exporters 
of  the  United  States  if  they  will  make  vigor- 
ous efforts  to  exploit  it  along  legitimate  lines. 
As  this  trade  will  next  year  reach  a total 
valuation  of  $60,000,000,  it  should  be  care- 
fully investigated  by  all  those  interested. 

The  principal  centers  of  trade  and  indus- 
try in  Central  America  include  Guatemala 
City,  which  has  96,000  people ; Coban, 
Toonicapan,  and  Quezalten^ngo,  in  Guate- 
mala, with  about  25,000  each;  Tegucigalpa 


MERCED  STREET  IX  GUATEMALA  CITY. 


RFSOURCIiFUL  CENTRA  I.  AMERICA. 


77 


with  about  ,^4,0(X'),  aiul  C()inaya(2:ua  with 
i(),(XX),  in  Ilonchiras;  la'oii  with  ()(),()()0, 
(naiiada  ^^’ith  40, (XX),  and  Maiiaj^iia  with 
25, (XX),  ill  Nicaragua;  San  Salvador  with 
()0,(XX),  and  Santa  Ana  with  48, (XX),  in  Sal- 
vador, and  San  Jose  with  25, OCX),  Heredia 
with  10,000,  and  Limon  with  ycxx),  in  Costa 
Rica.  Many  of  these  towns  are  also  seats 
of  notable  institutions  of  learning,  such  as 
the  schools  of  law  and  medicine  at  Guate- 
mala City,  the  Institute  of  Jurisprudence  and 
Political  Science  at  Tegucigalpa,  the  Na- 
tional University  at  San  Salvador,  the 
scrhools  of  law,  medicine,  and  pharmacy  at 
Managua  and  Leon,  and  the  schools  of  law 
and  medicine  in  San  Jose. 

If  any  one  assumes  that  because  there  are 
occasional  revolutions  in  Central  America 
and  the  climate  is  somewhat  tropical,  there  is 
not  a considerable  element  of  highly  educated 
and  refined  men  and  w^omen  in  the  chief 
cities  and  towns,  he  labors  under  great  error. 
A large  proportion  of  the  well-to-do  people 
have  traveled  abroad  and  send  their  sons  or 


NATIVES  OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 


men,  who  are  well  knowm  throughout  all 
Latin  America  and  who  are  becoming 
better  known  in  the  United  States.  The 
society  found  by  the  visitor  in  the  Central- 
American  capitals  is  always  more  interest- 
ing and  cultured  than  he  expects  to  meet 
before  he  has  acquired  familiarity  with 
actual  conditions.  Guatemala  City,  for 
Instance,  is  a remarkable  capital,  with 
nearly  100,000  people,  which  will  become 
a popular  point  for  travelers  and  tour- 
ists from  the  United  States  when  the  Pan- 
American  Railroad  or  the  new  line  from  the 
Caribbean  shore  is  completed.  In  fact, 
Guatemala  has  a splendid  future  before  it, 
but  the  world  has  only  recently  begun  to 
appreciate  its  resources  and  possibilities. 
Much  might  also  be  said  of  the  conditions 
and  attractions  of  the  other  Central-Ameri- 
can  capitals,  like  San  Jose,  Managua,  Teguci- 
galpa, and  San  Salvador,  but  there  is  not 
space  in  this  brief  article. 


IZALCO  VOLCANO,  SALVADOR. 


BENEFITS  OF  AN  INTERCONTINENTAL  RAIL- 


daughters  to  the  United  States  and  Europe 
for  educational  advantages  in  addition  to 
their  home  schools.  Each  country  has  pro- 
duced writers,  historians,  poets,  novelists, 
jurists,  doctors  and  surgeons,  as  well  as  states- 


WAY. 

No  matter  how  many  steamship  lines  may 
be  put  in  operation  between  the  Pacific, 
Gulf,  and  Atlantic  ports  of  the  United 
States  and  Central  America,  the  principal 


THE  NATIONAL  UNIVERSITY  OF  SAN  SALVADOR. 


cities  and  points  of  this  section  of  the 
North-American  continent  will  never  be 
reached  rapidly  and  by  large  numbers  of  peo- 
ple until  the  Pan-American  Railway  .system 
is  constructed  from  Mexico  down  through 
Guatemala,  Salvador,  Honduras,  Nicaragua, 
and  Costa  Rica  to  Panama.  The  line  now 
reaches  practically  to  the  border  of  Guate- 
mala, and  there  are  no  insurmountable  diffi- 
culties in  connecting  it  with  the  small  systems 
already  in  operation,  or  in  course  of  construc- 
tion, in  these  different  states.  If  the  move- 
ment which  has  been  so  strongly  urged  by  ex- 
Senator  Henry  G.  Davis,  of  West  Virginia, 
and  which  has  been  approved  by  the  different 
Pan-American  Conferences,  is  carried  to  a 
consummation,  it  will  be  one  of  the  greatest 
forward  steps  to  Pan-American  unity.  In 
ten  years,  it  should  be  possible  for  a traveler 
to  start  out  from  New  York  and  make  the 
journey  to  each  of  the  Central-American 
capitals  in  comfortable  Pullman  trains. 

For  300  years  Central  America  was  under 
Spanish  authority,  beginning  with  the  in- 
vasion of  Pedro  and  Jorge  de  Alvarado  on 
the  north  and  Gil  Gonzales  de  Avila  on  the 
south.  The  former  came  down  from  Mexi- 
co just  before  the  latter  came  up  from  Pana- 


ma, taking  possession  of  what  is  now  Costa 
Rica  and  Nicaragua.  For  long  years.  Central 
America  was  known  as  the  Kingdom  of 
Guatemala,  with  governors  appointed  by  the 
Spanish  Government.  After  their  independ- 
ence was  consummated  in  the  year  1821, 
and,  until  1847,  these  countries  remained  as 
one  republic.  Since  they  separated  there  have 
been  various  efforts  to  unite  them  again  into 
one  nation,  but  none  of  these  has  been  com- 
pletely successful. 

THE  BUREAU  OF  THE  AMERICAN  REPUBLICS. 

The  International  Bureau  of  the  Ameri- 
can Republics,  in  Washington,  which  has  the 
twofold  purpose  of  developing  commerce  and 
trade  and  of  promoting  better  relations  and 
closer  acquaintance  among  all  the  nations 
of  the  Western  Hemisphere,  will  be  glad  to 
answer  any  inquiries  from  the  readers  of  the 
Review  of  Reviews  about  the  resources,  pos- 
sibilities, and  general  development  of  the  Cen- 
tral-American republics  which  maybe  suggest- 
ed by  this  brief  description,  while  the  able 
ministers  in  Washington  and  consuls-general 
in  New  York  City  of  these  countries  are  al- 
ways ready  to  consider  legitimate  and  serious 
questions  from  those  who  may  be  interested. 


